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Friday, April 13, 2012

WHY MY IDOL'S COMING HOME TO THE BRONX

I don’t throw around the word "idol" too often. I appreciate people in my life, people like my dad who has always showed me the ropes and kept me positive and to always stand up for myself if I felt like I was being taken for a ride.People like my wife who is stronger than me sometimes when it comes to balance and courage in life... and then, there are my idols; people that I’ve never met that do things so positive or so productive in whatever craft they thrive in, they better the people around them. Bottom line, they provide results.Robert DeNiro is maybe my favorite actor of all time, just because of the way he handles his craft, it’s never about him, it’s about the project. I loved guys like Ron Guidry growing up, because while he received individual achievements, he did what he could for his team to win. But that’s not all, I idolize one of the strongest, most passionate and underrated New York Yankees of our lifetime, Jorge Posada and that's a fact.

Now, It’s strange to idolize someone the same age as me, but it makes sense in a lot of ways. Sure, maybe the word I should use is "admire", but it’s all the same to me.Posada went to work every day trying to be better than the last…he provided results all the time… I admire that.He cares deeply for his family and it’s evident with everything he and Laura have been through with their son. I admire that.Most important though, it was never about him, ever.It was always about them…whether it was about his direct family or his Yankee family…hell, maybe even us fans...He gives a crap about the people around him, never putting himself in the spotlight.

That’s why today at Yankee Stadium will be extra special. Jorge Posada will be throwing out the first pitch.I mean, it’s almost ironic. How do you honor a guy who never wanted to throw himself out there ahead of his team?It will be interesting to see how Jorge reacts, because he’s not that kind of guy.Sure, he’ll feel the love, there will no doubt be a standing ovation and it will last several minutes… I suspect.He’ll wave to the crowd, maybe mouth “thank you” and you may even see the emotion get to him, tearing up, or, at least that’s how I see it…because bottom line, no one liked the way everything went down last year when it came to Jorge… not you, not me and not him.At the end of the day, the Yankees were about business and I get that, but this is a guy that won 5 times with them…and much like Bernie Williams, I found the initial departure odd and disappointing.

So who knows, maybe this is the Yankees "real" send off.Maybe it’s their "official" Thank you. Maybe this is them realizing that many grew up idolizing this future Yankee Hall of Famer andthey needed to do something big.

I know something they should do... retire #20.If they really wanted to cement a great Yankee in their rich history, they need to retire #20 and make Jorge apart of Monument park.Hell, maybe not now, but maybe in 5 years when they retire #2, #42 and #46 all at the same time, because if it’s one thing I know about idols, they always tried their hardest, they always gave results and they always put others first.

Jorge Posada is my idol, and I’m thrilled that this guy is coming home for Opening Day in the Bronx, not just for me, but for us. It's about to get really special and I am looking forward to this.